Scrap recovery process



Filed July 28, 1965 EARL AOSTER INVENTOR BY/ WM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,429,022 SCRAP RECOVERY PROCESS Earl A. Oster, Dearborn, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Environ, Inc., Wyandotte, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 28, 1965, Ser. No. 475,532

U.S. Cl. 29-403 15 'Claims Int. Cl. B23a 3/00; B02c 7/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure is concerned with a process for improving the marketability of certain types of scrap metal. This process contemplates the disassembly and cleaning of metallic discards by repeated impacts. These impacts are applied to such articles by supporting them upon a rotating horizontal plate which carries the impacting members. The scrap metal being treated is completely unconfined and is held against the impacting members only by its own inertia.

This invention is concerned with a process for the disassembly, cleaning and compacting of metal apparatus and especially metal apparatus containing a large portion of sheet metal components. This invention teaches a process for disassembling apparatus containing at least two different metals and rendering these different metals readily separable by magnetic, gravitational or other methods. This invention further teaches a method for disassembling apparatus containing two or more valuable metals which are so commingled as to render their commercial separation difi'icult. Copper bearing electrical apparatus is typical of such a use.

This invention is further designed to treat metal apparatus which is objectionable because of excessive bulk, dirt, rust, paint and the presence of metallic contaminants. Automotive bodies and internal combustion engines are typical of such an application. Automotive bodies can be treated in either the incinerated or unincinerated condition to produce a comparatively rust and paint free compacted steel scrap which is readily separable from the other components usually present such as copper wire, zinc, aluminum, plastic, glass and cloth.

This invention has been perfected to enable such a process to be executed in an apparatus which is extremely simple in nature and rugged in construction. The apparatus of this invention has essentially only one moving part and is capable of maintenance by unskilled personnel.

The process and apparatus contemplated by this invention can be readily understood by a study of the sole figure of drawing which is an exploded view of a machine which has been used to carry out the process. This drawing shows the apparatus to be essentially a rotatable metal plate which is supported for rotation upon bearings and driven by means of a pulley and an appropriate belt. This plate is preferably, although by no means necessarily mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane. Immediately adjacent the upper face of this plate is mounted a metal tube having a diameter approximately the same as the rotatable metal plate.

This tube is stationary except for a small amount of motion in an axial direction as illustrated by the arrows. In the preferred apparatus the inside diameter of the tube is less than the outside diameter of the rotatable metal plate and the entire tube is supported above the rotatable metal plate. This structure permits the clearance between the rotatable metal plate and the tube to be varied at will. It is also possible to have the inside diameter of the tube greater than the diameter of the 3,429,022 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 rotatable plate. In this case the tube can be lowered around the periphery of the rotatable metal plate to give a fixed minimum clearance which is fixed by the dimensions of the rotatable metal plate and the tube.

An essential part of this invention are the projections which alter the otherwise planar upper surface of the rotatable metal plate. These projections may be provided in any desired number. The drawing shows three such projections, although very successful operation has been achieved using only one such projection. Ordinary mild soft steel serves well for these projections although such may be provided with a hardened cap as illustrated on one of the projections. These projections are conveniently nothing more than the ends of bolts threaded through the rotatable metal plate. In this structure wear of the projections is simply repaired by rotating the bolt to cause more of it to project beyond the working face of the rotatable metal plate. If desired, the bolt structure may be eliminated and replaced by a low mound of weld metal deposited upon the working face of the rotatable metal plate. The exact radial placement of the projections is not critical except that they should be well removed from the center of rotation so that their velocity is maximized.

The apparatus of this invention is dependent for its operation upon the axial and tangential accelerations imparted to the material being disassembled. A simple calculation will show that even very moderate rotative speeds will result in the projections imparting to the material being disassembled accelerations of orders of magnitude impossible to sustain. These very high accelerations impart to the material being treated a beating, burnishing, folding and tearing action that results in the material being freed of paint, rust and dirt. The material is torn and fasteners and welds broken to permit the apparatus to be disassembled. The portions of the apparatus so disassembled are further compacted, cleaned and burnished to the desired extent by the action of the projections before being discharged from the machine. These disassembled pieces may be further rolled, kneaded and compacted in being discharged from the machine between the working face of the rotatable metal plate and the adjacent tube.

A machine to carry out this invention was constructed using as a rotatable metal plate a mild steel disc one inch thick and twenty inches in diameter. The tube is a steel tube one half inch thick, four feet long and twenty inches in outside diameter. This tube is mounted above the rotatable metal plate and is capable of vertical adjustment from a positioning in which it just clears the rotatable metal plate to a height sufficient to discharge tangentially the largest desired object. Typically the rotatable metal plate was rotated at a speed of 1800 r.p.m. to give a surface speed of about 157 feet per second. The three projections shown were 1 /2" diameter mild steel bolts. A height of one half inch of these bolts above the face of the rotatable metal plate was found to be ample for most operations. This machine was driven by a two horsepower electric motor.

This particular machine operated satisfactorly with only a single bolt projecting above the face of the rotatable metal plate. In fact very satisfactory operation was achieved with the bolts flush with the face of the rotatable metals plate and their function taken over by a single mound of soft steel not over %-inch high and 4 inch in diameter which was applied by fusing a mild steel welding rod in the electric arc. This machine has been employed to disassemble transformers weighing as much as ten pounds each, both in the incinerated and unincinerated condition, It has been employed to disassemble vehicle voltage regulators, horns and vehicle heater motors. It has been very successful in handling 22-pound one-third horsepower alternating current motors of the type usually found in domestic appliances. Motors of this type are almost invariably equipped with cast end bells which support the rotor. A very few seconds residence in this machine results in a complete shattering of these east end bells and the ejection of the rotors from the stators. Using a separation of about one half inch between the rotatable metal plate and the tube resulted in a prompt departure of the broken fragments of the end bells from the tube.

The rotors of motors of this type are usually COl'llposed of a central shaft carrying steel laminations and aluminum die cast windings. These rotors were separately charged into the tube of the machine with the spacing of the tube and rotatable metal plate small enough to prevent escape of the shaft. The machine promptly disassembled the shaft from the laminations and fragmentized the cast aluminum winding. The broken aluminum winding and densified laminations were ejected from the machine and the shafts retained to be discharged later when the clearance between the tube and rotatable metal plate was increased. These motors were in the unincinerated condition, although incinerated motors can also be handled.

The stators of appliance motors in the unincinerated condition were charged into the tube of the operating machine. The stators were disintegrated into laminations and copper Wire and the copper wire balled up into a readily separable mass.

The volume of the tube should be large with respect to the volume of the individual pieces of apparatus to be handled. Similarly, the diameter of the tube should be large as compared to the dimensions of the individual pieces of apparatus to be handled so that the apparatus being disassembled will be unable to rest upon the relatively stationary central portion of the rotatable metal plate where the velocity is insufficient to accomplish satisfactory disassembly.

An important feature of this process and apparatus is that the apparatus to be disassembled is perfectly free within the confines of the tube and is disassembled, disintegrated, cleaned and compacted solely against forces traceable to its own inertia. This feature greatly simplifies the operation and construction of the machine and reduces the wear on the sole moving part. The wear upon the plate and tube appears to be negligible and the wear of the soft steel projections is very slow.

A larger machine of this same type should be ideally adapted to the disintegration and compaction of automobile bodies into salable products and to products which occupy much less space than bodies as received. No burning is required prior to operation of the machine upon car bodies. The non-metallic portions of an unincinerated car body are disintegrated by the projections. By appropriately spacing the rotatable metal plate and the adjacent end of the tube, the disintegrated nonmetallic material may be discharged between the rotatable metal plate and the tube end while retaining the bulk of the metallic components. Sufficient retention of the metallic portions of the unincinerated motor vehicle bodies in the tube will result in most of the contaminants such as paint, salt, dirt, rust, undercoating and glass being removed from the metallic portions.

Similarly motor vehicle engines which are predominantly cast iron can be disassembled in such a machine, this operation involving the fragmentation of the cast iron portions to free the other components such as the aluminum pistons and the other sundry metal parts of an internal combustion engine usually retained in place by the cast iron. By a judicious selection of the separation between the rotatable metal plate and the end of the tube, the size of the cast iron fragments can be readily regulated.

The tube which contains the articles being supported upon the rotatable metal plate has been depicted as round in cross section and will normally be so. However, the exact shape of the tube forms no part of this invention and any suitable shape can obviously be used. Likewise the tube and the rotatable metal plate need not be concentric. The size of the tube may be varied to suit the size of the objects to be treated.

The preferred method of feeding the objects to be treated to the rotatable metal plate is by gravity. It is necessary that the objects being treated be unrestrained from motion axial with respect to the rotatable metal plate. This results in the favorable action of the projection of the rotatable metal plate upon the objects being accomplished only against the inertia of the objects. This freedom of axial motion is preferably accompanied by a similar freedom to circulate about in the tube. These two degrees of freedom of the objects being treated result in very low wear on the moving part and a contiuous circulation of the objects about the tube and rotation about their own axes. Continuous new areas of attack are so presented to the projections without the possibility of excessive wear or jamming.

I claim as my invention:

1. The process of converting metallic objects comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal object upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the sheet metal object against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said sheet metal object, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the sheet metal object by the projection are sufficient to disassemble the sheet metal object and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the sheet metal products supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

2. The process of converting metallic objects comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal object upon an approximately horizontal rotatable metal plate, restraining the sheet metal object against premature escape in a horizontal direction within an essentially vertical tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said sheet metal object, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the vertical and horizontal accelerations imparted locally to the sheet metal object by the projection are suflicient to disassemble the sheet metal object and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the sheet metal products supported upon the rotatable metal plate and being at all times unrestrained in a vertical direction.

3. The process of converting metallic objects comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal object upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the sheet metal object against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said sheet metal object, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the sheet metal object by the projection are suflicient to disassemble the sheet metal object and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the sheet metal products supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction, a separation being maintained between the rotating plate and the tube, said separation being selected to further compact by a kneading and rolling action product being expelled between the tube end and the rotating metal plate.

4. The process of converting metallic objects comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal object upon an approximately horizontal rotatable metal plate, restraining the sheet metal object against premature escape in a horizontal direction within an essentially vertical tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rota-table metal plate for interaction with the said sheet metal object, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the vertical and horizontal accelerations imparted locally to the sheet metal object by the projection are sufficient to disassemble the sheet metal object and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the sheet metal products supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained in a vertical direction, a separation :being maintained between the rotating metal plate and the tube, said separation being selected to further compact by a kneading and rolling action product being expelled between the tube end and the rotating metal plate.

5. The process of converting electrical apparatus containing non-ferrous conductors and a substantial portion of ferrous sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the electrical apparatus upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the electrical apparatus against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said electrical apparatus, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the electrical apparatus by the projection are sufiicient to disassemble the electrical apparatus and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the electrical apparatus supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestricted from movement in an axial direction.

6. The process of converting unincinerated electrical apparatus containing non-ferrous conductors and a substantial portion of ferrous sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the unincinerated electrical apparatus upon a rotatable rnetal plate, restraining the unincinerated electrical apparatus against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said unincinerated electrical apparatus, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the unincinerated electrical apparatus by the projection are suflicient to disassemble the unincinerated electrical apparatus and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the unincinerated electrical apparatus supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestricted from movement in an axial direction.

7. The process of converting electrical apparatus containing non-ferrous conductors and a substantial portion of ferrous sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the electrical apparatus upon an approximately horizontal rotatable metal plate, restraining the electrical apparatus against premature escape in a horizontal direction within an essentially vertical tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said electrical apparatus, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the vertical and horizontal accelerations imparted locally to the electrical apparatus by the projection are sufiicient to disassemble the electrical apparatus and form it into a densified and comparatively rust and dirt free scrap product, the electrical apparatus supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained in a vertical direction.

8. The process of converting a dynamoelectric machine comprising a rotor, a stator, and rotor supporting means into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the dynamoelectric machine upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the dynamoelectric machine against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the dynamoelectric machine, and rotating the dynamoelectric machine at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the dynamoelectric machine by the projection are sufiicient to shatter the rotor supporting means and remove the rotor so freed from the stator, and permitting the shattered rotor supporting means to leave the apparatus between the rotating plate and the tube adjacent the rotating late. p 9. The process of converting metallic objects comprising essentialy sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal object upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the sheet metal object against premature escape in a radial direction Within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the said sheet metal object, adjusting the clearance between the rotatable metal plate and the end of the tube to permit the ejection of fines as they are formed, rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the sheet metal object by the projection are sufiicient to disassemble the sheet metal object, continuing the rotation of the rotatable metal plate after the sheet metal object has been disassembled to densify, clean and burnish the disassembled sheet metal objects and form it into a comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the sheet metal products supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

10. The process of recovering metal values from a metal object containing at least two different metals which different metals exhibit substantially unlike response to a succession of accelerations sufliciently intense to cause disassembly of the metal object into a plurality of more readily separable pieces comprising supporting the metal object upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the metal object against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the Working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the metal object, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the metal object by the projection are sufficient to disassemble the sheet metal object and form it into a more readily separable mixture, the metal object supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

11. The process of recovering metal values from at least partially assembled internal combustion engines containing a large portion of cast iron which will fracture readily in response to a succession of intense accelerations and release component engine parts composed of metals other than cast iron comprising supporting the internal combustion engine upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the internal combustion engine against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rot-atable metal plate for interaction with the internal combustion engine, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential acceleration imparted locally to the internal combustion engine by the projection are sufficient to destroy the integrity of the cast iron portions of the internal combustion engine and release the component engine parts in a form readily separable from the cast iron portion, the internal combustion engine supported upon the rotatable plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

12. The process of converting motor vehicle bodies comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the sheet metal motor vehicle body upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the motor vehicle body against premature escape in a radial direction within a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the motor vehicle body, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the vehicle body by the projection are sufficient to disassemble the motor vehicle body and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the motor vehicle body supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

13. The process of converting unincinerated motor vehicle bodies comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the unincinerated sheet metal motor vehicle body upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the unincinerated motor vehicle body from premature escape in a radial direction in a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the unincinerated motor vehicle body, and rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the unincinerated vehicle body by the projection are sufficient to disassemble the unincinerated motor vehicle body and form it into a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the unincinerated motor vehicle body supported upon the rotatable metal plate being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

14. The process of converting unincinerated motor vehicle bodies comprising essentially sheet metal into a comparatively dense, dirt and rust free scrap product which product is more readily amenable to magnetic separation comprising supporting the unincinerated sheet metal motor vehicle body upon a rotatable metal plate, restraining the unincinerated motor vehicle body from premature escape in a radial direction in a tube which tube terminates adjacent the working face of the rotatable metal plate, said rotatable metal plate carrying at least one blunt projection extending from the working face of the rotatable metal plate for interaction with the unincin erated motor vehicle body, adjusting the separation between the rotatable metal plate and the end of the tube to permit the passage of disintegrated non-metallic components while retaining most of the metal components, rotating the rotatable metal plate at such a speed that the axial and tangential accelerations imparted locally to the unincinerated motor vehicle body by the projections are suflicient to disassemble the unincinerated motor vehicle body sheet metal and to disintegrate the non-metallic components, pemitting the disintegrated non-metallic components to leave the machine through the separation between the rotating metal plate and the end of the tube adjacent the rotating metal plate, and separately removing the sheet metal components to produce a densified and comparatively dirt and rust free scrap product, the unincinerated motor vehicle being at all times unrestrained from movement in an axial direction.

15. The process of recovering metal values from a composite metal object containing at least two different met als which different metals exhibit substantially unlike responses to a succession of accelerations sufiiciently intense to cause disassembly of the composite metal object into a plurality of more readily separable pieces comprising causing a rapidly moving blunt metallic object to repeatedly impact said composite metal object to impart local accelerations thereto in lateral and upward directions while said composite metal object is mechanically unrestrained against movement in the directions of the accelerations and is restrained against premature radial escape and continuing to so impact the composite article against its own inertia until it has been disassembled into more readily separable pieces, said composite metal object being at all times unrestrained from movement in a vertical direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 302,387 7/1884 Engel 241-188 X 937,411 10/1904 Block 24l188 X 1,764,100 6/ 1930 Spielman et al. 241257 X 2,405,561 8/ 1946 Egedal 241-162 2,844,184 7/1958 Vollmer 139 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,949 3/ 1884 Germany.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

